Way back in 2017, a ragtag group of MCs would gather in the taproom at Bearded Iris to pass the mic and hone their skills. The hip-hop scene has grown by leaps and bounds since then, but without that event (or AL-D and E.T.’s Meant for the Milk Crate series), it’s been tough to find a regular cypher. So when Eastside Jam, a weekly funk-and-soul jam hosted at Inglewood Lounge, announced a cypher night, it immediately got our attention. Some of the best rappers in the city — Chuck Indigo, Namir Blade and Brian Brown among them — pulled up to rhyme against a perpetual groove. They switched it up as members of the band rotated in and out and took the beats into continuously evolving directions under the eye of Clarksville rapper (and the night’s emcee) Seddymac. It was a one-off gig, but I can speak for hip-hop fans across Nashville — I’d pay to see that again and again and again.
Best Cypher
